unlocking
democracy
Unlocking Democracy is a community support program and the central hub for Policing Equity’s community-centered resources, initiatives, and interactive working groups. This program is designed to support community leaders seeking to build more equitable public safety systems. This work is conducted through collaborative partnerships with values-aligned organizations and government officials that share Unlocking Safety’s goal to uplift the efforts of Black and other historically marginalized communities in confronting racial disparities in policing.
Learning Communities and Data Connection
Many communities are exploring ways to redesign public safety; however, much of the dialogue, policy, and practice around these models are fairly new. In response, CPE and The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center host a joint series of Learning Communities focused on policing alternatives.
These virtual learning communities assist interdisciplinary teams seeking to implement, sustain, and evaluate policing alternatives, including Community Violence Intervention Programs, Community and Crisis Response Teams to Improve Responses to Youth, Support HBCU Behavioral Health Crisis Responses, and Substance Use and Overdose Community Response Programs.
Upcoming Modules
Community Violence Intervention Programs
Designed to reduce gun violence by integrating various strategies for behavioral change.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Community and Crisis Response Teams to Improve Responses to Youth
Developing and improving crisis responses for children, teens, and young adults.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Supporting HBCU Behavioral Health Crisis Response
Developing and uplifting public health and community-centered crisis response strategies to better address student needs and create safer and more supportive campus environments.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Substance Use and Overdose Community Response Programs
Expanding emergency response efforts by using public health and community-centered approaches to substance use and overdose response.
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Thursday, May 15, 2025
How to Join
Interdisciplinary teams can apply to join an upcoming learning community cohort by clicking on any of the learning module links above. Teams applying to participate should include multidisciplinary members including essential community members and professionals positioned to achieve program goals.
Elected Leaders Council
Launched in partnership with the CSG Justice Center, CPE’s Elected Leaders Council is a peer-to-peer learning community for elected officials nationwide who are dedicated to spearheading innovative efforts to take actionable steps toward true public safety reform.
The Elected Leaders Council brings together elected officials and staff members seeking to implement new approaches to public safety, including Consent Search Reform, Ending Low-Level Traffic Stops, Non-Police Traffic Enforcement, and Police Stop Data Transparency.
Upcoming Council Sessions
The Spring 2025 Cohort of the ELC used listening sessions to better understand the challenges, successes, opportunities, and lessons learned by elected leaders seeking to advocate for and implement community safety programs in their communities. Listening sessions for the Spring 2026 cohort will be listed in the fall.
How to Join
Elected officials and staff members of elected officials can register for upcoming sessions by clicking on the register button above. To learn more about other opportunities to receive assistance in piloting alternatives to law enforcement in communities, contact us at elc@policingequity.org. Those interested can also learn more about the CSG Justice Center’s alternative response work here.